Mining self-loading and unloading scraper



C. H. STRANGE.

MINING SELF LOADING AND UNLOADING SCRAPER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29, 1920.

Patented Nov. 22, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

I c. H. STRANGE.

MINING SELF LOADING AND'UNLOADING SCRAPER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29. I920- Patented Nov. 22, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. STRANGE, O1" MINERSVILLE, PENNSYLVANTA.

MINING SELF-LOADING AND UNLOADING SCRAPER Application filed June 29,

- To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. STRANGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minersville, in the county of Schuylkill and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Mining Self- Loading and Unloading Scrapers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus which is employed in mines for transferring material blasted from the working faces in the chambers to the cars in the entries, and more particularly to. those scoop buckets which are especially adapted to be drawn by ropes into and out of thin vein cuttings in coal mines, but which, of course, are workable in seams of practically any height and for removing other minerals or metals than coal from the mine to the car or from one place to another.

The object of the invention is to provide a scoop bucket for such purposes which can be manipulated by simple apparatus with a minimum expenditure of labor, power and time, so as to enter the chamber, scoop up a maximum quantity of material, withdraw from the chamber and deposit its load in the mine car located in the entry opposite the chute.

This object is attained by hinging the back of the bucket at its lower edge and connecting the swinging edge of the back with both the tail rope that is used to draw: the empty bucket into the chamber and with the head rope that is used to pull the loaded bucket out of the chamber, in such manner that the draft of the tail rope first opens down the back and then pulls the bucket along and causes the lowered back to dig into and scoop up the material blasted from the working face of the chamber, and the draft of the head rope first closes up the back and then pulls the bucket with its load from the chamber, this arrangement en-. abling the bucket to be drawn straight in and straight out without any turn, thereby insuring the return of the bucket with a full load in the shortest path and quickest possible time.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows a plan of an entry, chute and chamber of a coal mine illustrating the apparatus used and the method of operating the improved scoop bucket. Fig. 2 shows a plan of the bucket. Fig. 3 shows a longitudinal section of the bucket. Fig. 4 shows a side view Specification of Letters Patent.

1920. Serial No. 392,862.

of the bucket being drawn into the chamber and scooping up a quantity of coal from the bottom with its lowered back. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the back of the bucket nearly closed by the pull of the head rope. Fig. 6 shows the back completely closed and the bucket with its load ready to be drawn out from the chamber.

The bucket is formed of two vertical or substantially vertical and parallel side plates 1 of steel or iron that are connected across The back 5 of the bucket shown, which has side walls 6, is connected to the side plates near the bottom by hinge bolts 7. A rib 8 is secured to the back approximately mid way between the sides. The front and bottom of the bucket are open.

A bridle chain 9 is connected by clevises' 10 with the side plates near the head end, and this bridle is provided with an eye 11 into which is connected the end of the head rope 12 that is used to draw the bucket and its load from the chamber. The tail rope 13 swinging end of the back and a chain 17 is attached to the bridle eye 11, the rope passing over a pulley 18 mounted in a block on the cross brace 4t and being connected with the chain by a turn buckle 19. The length of this connection between the back and bridle eye is such that when the bridle is slacked the back may be opened down but when the bridle is drawn taut the back is pulled up and closed.

Then a bucket is to be used its head rope is passed around a snatch-block 20 attached to a prop placed in the entry 21 opposite the chute or neck 22 from the chamber 23, and is wound on the drum 241 of a hoist mounted on a locomotive 25 which travels on rails 26 laid in the entry. The tail rope is run around a snatch-block 27 fastened to a prop located as near the face of the chamber as feasible, around a snatch-block 28 attached to a prop near one side of the cham- Patented Nov. 22,1921.

her a little distance from the face and around a snatch-block 29 secured to a prop at one side of the mouth of the chute, audits end is fastened to a hoisting drum 30 on the locomotive. To bring out coal the head rope is slackenedand the hoist started so as to wind the tail rope on the drum 30. This opens the back and draws the bucket with the back down along the floor of the cham her until it enters and becomes filled with loose coal'which has been blasted from the face of the chamber. l/Vhen the bucket is full the tail rope drum is released so the tail rope can unwind and the hoist started so as to wind the head rope on the drum The pull of the headrope first closes up the back and then when the back is closed continued pull on the head rope draws the bucket with the load it has scooped up along the chamber to the chute until the bucket.

set in a different locality so that the tail rope need only be transferred from one snatch-block to the other in order to cause the bucket to enter the pile of coal that is left. With this apparatus the bucket passes in a straight line in and out of the chamber and the back is automatically opened without loss of time so that it will scoop up its load of coal, and is automatically closed without loss of time so that it will keep the load in the bucket when it is drawn out.

The invention claimed is 1. A scraper for transferring coal eetached from a vein from the working face of a chamber to a car in the entry of a mine, said scraper having an open top, open bottom and open front end and comprising substantially vertical side plates, transversely extending arches connecting the side plates,

a transversely extending back plate hinged at its lower edge to the lower edges of the slde plates, means for the connectlon of the head rope to the side plates, means for theconnection of a tail rope to the back plate,

tom and open front end and comprising substantially vertical and parallel side plates, cross braces connecting the tops of said side plates, a transversely extending back plate hinged at its lower edge to the sideplates, a rib extending longitudinally along the inside of the center of the back )late, a bridle for the connection of a head rope attached to the side plates, means for the connection of a tail rope to said rib, and a flexible connection between said bridle and rib.

3. A scraper for transferring coal detached from a vein from the working face of a chamber to a car in the entry of a mine, said scraper having an open top, open bottom and open front end and comprising substantially vertical and parallel side plates, a transversely extending back plate with side walls at its ends hinged at its lower edge to the back end of the side plates, means connected with the back plate for opening said plate downward and drawing the scraper backward and means connected with the back plate for closing said plate upward and drawing the scraper forward.

A. A conveyer for transferring coai detached from a vein from the working face of a chamber to a car in the entry of a mine comprising a scraper having an open top, open bottom and open front end and consisting of substantially vertical and parallel side plates, a plate extending transversely of the side plates at the rear. ends thereof and hinged at its lower edge thereto, means connected with the back plate for opening it downward and drawing the scraper backward in a straight line to the working face of the chamber, and, means for closing up the back plate and drawing the scraper forward in a straight line over a car in the entry.

5. An apparatus for conveying coal detached from a vein from the working face of a chamber to a car in the entry of a mine comprising a scraper having an open top, open bottom and open front end and consisting of substantially vertical and parallel side plates and a plate hinged at its lower edge and adapted to be opened from and closed against the rear ends of the'side plates, a tail rope connected with the back plate for swinging down the back plate and drawing the scraper in a straight line from the entry to the working face of the chamber, a head rope connected with the side. plates and back plate for swinging up the back plate and drawing the scraper forward in a straight line from the working face over a car in the entry of the mine, a locomotive and a hoist having a drum for winding up the head rope and a drum for winding up the tail rope mounted on the locomotive.

CHARLES H. STRANGE. 

